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The Machars Machair Ghallghaidhealaibh (Scottish Gaelic) | |
|---|---|
 Luce Bay coastline of The Machars, south ofAuchenmalg | |
| Location | Wigtownshire,Dumfries & Galloway |
| Native name | Machair Ghallghaidhealaibh (Scottish Gaelic) |
| Highest elevation | 197m (Mochrum Fell) |
The Machars (Scottish Gaelic:Machair Ghallghaidhealaibh) is apeninsula in the historical county ofWigtownshire inGalloway in the south-west ofScotland. Its name (inScots[1] and English) is derived from theGaelic wordMachair meaning low-lying or level land, known as "links" on the east coast of Scotland. Although there are no high peaks in The Machars, it is not flat and would best be described as undulating or rolling. TheNorth Atlantic Drift orGulf Stream creates a mild climate, anddolphins andbasking sharks are frequently seen in the seas.
The Machars peninsula is roughly defined by a northern boundary stretching fromNewton Stewart toGlenluce, the only other boundary being the sea. The 40-mile (64 km) coastline has enormous variety, starting with the mud-flats ofWigtown on the east facing Wigtown Bay, down to the sandy beach at Rigg Bay inGarlieston (where theMulberry Harbours were developed). The coastline then rises to form dramatic cliffs as it passes the ruins ofCruggleton Castle, dropping a little at Portyerrock Bay and theIsle of Whithorn, and rising again atBurrow Head (where the climax of classic cult filmThe Wicker Man was filmed).
Past the southern tip of the peninsula, the shoreline leaves Wigtown Bay and becomes part ofLuce Bay. The cliffs continue as far as the beautiful sandy beach atMonreith ( childhood home of the authorGavin Maxwell), and on pastPort William. A combination of rocky shoreline, sandy beaches and cliffs continues as far asAuchenmalg andStairhaven before the sandy dunes approachingGlenluce. Two rivers cut through the peninsula, theRiver Bladnoch which rises atLoch Maberry and meets the sea just south ofWigtown, and one of its major tributaries theTarf Water which meets the Bladnoch nearKirkcowan. Another tributary of the Bladnoch is the large stream theWater of Malzie which rises in the large expanses of peat bog near theOld Place of Mochrum before meeting the Bladnoch near Cormalzie.
Generally speaking the Eastern half of the Machars can be described as being a landscape of rolling green hills and scattered woodland which forms a perfect setting for the large scale dairy industry which can be found here. In fact up until recent decades a large scale creamery was to be found atSorbie although this has now closed. This landscape extends to the far southern extremities of the peninsula, however the landscape to the North West is significantly different, where above the raised beaches of Luce Bay a rugged expanse of moorland and bog can be found, more reminiscent of the rough country to the north. The highest point of the Machars can be found here,Mochrum Fell, however for the most part the terrain can be characterised as a series of low, stony ridges interspersed by large expanses of peat bog and moorland and many small lochs. This part of the Machars is generally associated with large scale forestry plantations, especially ofSitka Spruce, and stock-rearing, either the hardyBelted Galloway or more typicallyGalloway cattle or sheep.
The other principal settlements on the peninsula are:Kirkcowan,Whithorn,Isle of Whithorn,Kirkinner,Sorbie,Mochrum,Elrig,Bladnoch andWhauphill.
There are a number of large lochs in the area includingMochrum Loch,Castle Loch and theWhite Loch of Myrton.
The area is rich in prehistoric remains, mainly in the form ofstanding stones andcup and ring marks. The most notable of these areTorhousekie stone circle andDrumtroddan standing stones. In Castle Loch nearThe Old Place of Mochrum are the remains of severalcrannogs.
Burrow Head (the southernmost tip of the peninsula) is about 18 miles (29 kilometres) fromPoint of Ayre on theIsle of Man, and trade links have long existed between the two places, much of which involved smuggling.
The primary industry in the area was agriculture, though today the tourist industry probably employs more people and generates more income.
Saint Ninian first broughtChristianity to what-would-become Scotland via the Machars, founding a small church at theIsle of Whithorn from which a mediæval cathedral later sprang atWhithorn. Ninian studied under StMartin of Tours and can lay claim to bringing Christianity to Scotland long before StColumba, whose church atIona is often mistakenly credited as the cradle of Scottish Christianity.
The Machars is also home to the formerRAF Wigtown. The airfield, which was opened in 1941 and is often referred to as Baldoon, was used inWorld War II as a training school - hosting the No 1 Air Observers School from September 13, 1941, to February 1, 1942, and operating in conjunction with a tracked target range near the coast to the southeast. Although the site originally consisted of grass runways, flooding of the land soon caused these to become unusable, and two concrete runways were installed during 1942. Operations at the airfield ceased in 1945, to coincide with the end of the war, and control of the site was given over to Maintenance Command which was placed in care and maintenance, transferring to No 14 Maintenance Unit from July 1, 1946, to March 1, 1948, when the airfield was finally closed.[2]
Despite considerable deterioration much of the airfield remains intact; with the original control tower still standing and nearly all the perimeter and access roads remaining. Furthermore, the concrete bases of many of the hangars and other buildings can still be seen on the ground. Today much of the land has reverted to agricultural use, with the site becoming popular for locals to conduct leisure activities – such as walking or cycling.
